3,000 houses at Popham Airfield - we need you to email Winchester City Council NOW

Basingstoke council has recently decided to support a huge greenfield housing development close to Micheldever Station, across the A303 at Popham airfield, in a scheme that could blight the area for years to come.

Basingstoke Council’s new draft local plan includes a ‘garden village’ of 3,000 houses, 50% larger than Barton Farm/Kings Barton, on Popham airfield. This would have major impacts on our area and is only a stone’s throw from the boundary with Winchester District. We believe it could also make a new town at Micheldever more likely.

Despite this, Basingstoke has gone ahead with the proposal without consulting Winchester City Council, let alone local residents.

While the Dever Society will be making a strong objection to Basingstoke council, Winchester City Council has far more power than we do. They are currently discussing their own response to Basingstoke council and it is crucial that they make the strongest possible objection based on the unacceptable impacts the ‘garden village’ proposal would have on Winchester District.

We need you to email Winchester City Council NOW and make it clear to them that the proposal for the airfield will have unacceptable impacts on our area and should be rejected. We’ve put together some bullet points below which you can use in your email.

You need to do this NOW so that we have a chance of influencing their response.

Development at Popham is not acceptable because:

• This greenfield development is the least sustainable way to meet housing need, and would put an unacceptable strain on local amenities in Winchester District.

• The large number of extra commuters at Micheldever railway station would put additional pressure on the already full car park and on the capacity of the line itself.

• It would cause increased traffic on the Overton Road and Larkwhistle Farm Road and through local villages, none of which are designed to accommodate high levels of traffic.

• It would increase the pressure for a new town at Micheldever Station. The development at Popham is too small to make the schools, alterations to roads (including expensive changes to the A303) and other infrastructure financially viable for a developer. But by joining with the developer of the new town, infrastructure costs could be shared.

• It would put at risk the green gap between Basingstoke and Winchester. If Popham is built and the other proposed developments in the southwest of Basingstoke go ahead, the resulting urban sprawl will inevitably lead to pressure for development to expand into Winchester District, either via the new town or other development.

Please send your email to planningpolicy@winchester.gov.uk and copy it to Cllr Jackie Porter, who is putting together WCC’s response, and Cllr Martin Tod, the leader of Winchester City Council. Their email addresses are jporter@winchester.gov.uk and mtod@winchester.gov.uk